


Something just like this

by Gilrael



Series: EnnoTana Week 2017 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: EnnoTana Week 2017, Exes being friends, Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar, M/M, Post-Canon, minor KinoNari, past Tanaka/Kanoka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 13:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11036916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael
Summary: “What's taking so long, honey?” Kinoshita asked, deliberately making eye contact to intimidate Ryuu until suddenly realisation dawned on his face as well. “Holy shit, Tanaka?”“Yeah. Hi.”“And here I thought I'd need to fend off a rival,” Kinoshita laughed, stepping out from behind his boyfriend – they were boyfriends, right? – and picking up two of the glasses the bartender had set down in front of them. “You should join us and Chikara at our table.”“Ennoshita is here, too?”---Written for EnnoTana Week Day 1 (Prompt: post university)Spin-off ofWaiting for a miracle, but no knowledge of that fic is needed to get this one.





	Something just like this

**Author's Note:**

> _Just something I can turn to_  
>  _Somebody I can kiss_  
>  _I want something just like this_  
>  (The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – Something just like this)
> 
> I promised an EnnoTana spin-off for Waiting for a miracle, and here it is just in time for the first day of EnnoTana week and the post university prompt :D

Tucked away in a corner of a small town in Miyagi was a bar that on the first glance seemed rather inoffensive. The music was never turned up too loud, the guests were mostly regulars who knew to behave themselves, and the owner made sure to keep the pavement in front of his bar clean. And yet, the opening of this bar had caused a huge uproar amongst the townsfolk. If people who knew you saw you enter this bar, you would inevitably become the subject of gossip for months.

And that's why Ryuu hesitated to go in. He'd been intrigued ever since he'd heard his co-workers at the hotel talk about this place, but he'd never intended to actually go in. Now seemed like the right time, though. He and Kanoka had broken up on friendly terms almost a year ago, and he'd be transferred to a hotel in Tokyo soon. There was no girlfriend to offend and no gossip to worry about anymore. Taking a deep breath, Ryuu crossed the road and pushed open the door. The first thing that caught his eye was the rainbow flag hanging from the wall behind the counter. The second thing he noticed was the lack of customers. Looking at his watch, he realised that he was a little early. Most people were still at work and that was probably for the best. If it was like this, he could pretend that he had not just entered a gay bar for the first time in his life.

And so Ryuu sat down at the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender swiftly filled his glass and set it down in front of him. Sipping at his drink, Ryuu turned in his stool and had another look around. There were a bunch of flirting couples and groups of friends scattered around the room, some of them people he'd seen around town, but nobody too familiar.

_Why am I even worried? Not like I'll live here for much longer anyway._

He turned back around to the bar, fiddling with his glass. Should he try talking to someone? But how do you even approach a guy? He was used to being rejected by girls – two years of pining after Kiyoko-san would do that to anyone – and even when he'd finally got a girlfriend, it was Kanoka who asked him out. He never had to actually try to pick someone up since then.

Well, he'd just try with the next guy who walked up to the bar. He wasn't necessarily here to flirt, he'd be just as satisfied if he managed to have a friendly conversation with a stranger.

And sure enough, not a minute after he'd resolve to strike up a conversation, someone walked up to the bar. He was tall, had short dark hair, dark eyes and a pierced eyebrow. Something about the guy was really familiar, but Ryuu just chalked it up to having seen him out on the streets a couple of times.

“Two beers and a Bloody Mary,” he ordered, and it was when Ryuu heard his voice that all the puzzle pieces fit together.

“Narita?!”

Narita turned his head, eyes flashing with recognition when he saw Ryuu sitting there. “Tanaka? Haven't seen you in a while.”

“You have hair,” was all Ryuu managed to say, making Narita chuckle.

“So do you.”

“You're right, we both had buzz cuts,” Ryuu laughed. “Damn, it's been a really long time since we graduated, huh...”

Narita shrugged. “Nobody has tried to organise a reunion yet, so...”

“True. I... Wow. I did not expect to see you here,” Ryuu admitted, still a little in shock.

“Well, we've been regulars ever since this place opened,” Narita admitted, blushing slightly, and before Ryuu could ask who “we” were, another familiar face walked up to the bar, wrapping his arms around Narita's waist from behind and throwing Ryuu an annoyed look.

“What's taking so long, honey?” Kinoshita asked, deliberately making eye contact to intimidate Ryuu until suddenly realisation dawned on his face as well. “Holy shit, Tanaka?”

“Yeah. Hi.”

“And here I thought I'd need to fend off a rival,” Kinoshita laughed, stepping out from behind his boyfriend – they were boyfriends, right? – and picking up two of the glasses the bartender had set down in front of them. “You should join us and Chikara at our table.”

“Ennoshita is here, too?”

 

***

 

It had been almost a year since Chikara had come back to his hometown, but the production company he worked for had finally managed to conclude the filming and editing of their latest miniseries, giving him an opportunity to take a week off. The first instalment of the miniseries had aired yesterday, and it was rather satisfying to see his own name in the end credits (even if he was just an assistant to the cinematographer). To celebrate, he'd decided to have a drink with Hisashi and Kazuhito, who had also managed to get some time off and suggested they meet at the local gay bar. Chikara had never been there before, he'd moved away for university before it opened, but it was nice. A lot more down to earth than some of the bars he'd visited in Tokyo, it seemed less like a place for people to find someone for a one-night stand and more like a headquarter for the local gay community.

“Ugh, someone's trying to chat up Kazu,” Hisashi complained, getting up and going to the bar to intervene. Amused, Chikara shook his head. Those two were still going strong, even after all these years. Personally, he hadn't had much luck with the guys, at least not in the long run. Especially now that he'd graduated from film school and worked in the industry, it was hard to find the time for dates. But he was fine with that. He would have enough time to find a partner once he'd managed to get his career off the ground.

The three guys at the bar suddenly started laughing, so Hisashi had probably decided that the stranger was not a threat. Then the guy that had been talking to Kazuhito suddenly turned his head, looking straight at Chikara.

_Oh, that's not a stranger._

Tanaka got up from his seat, walking back to the table with Kazuhito and Hisashi.

“Ennoshita! It's been a while,” Tanaka greeted him with a smile.

“Yeah, how have you been, Tanaka?” Chikara asked, trying to keep his expression friendly, but internally he was freaking out. Coming back home, he'd been prepared to run into some people he knew from high school, but he hadn't been prepared to meet Tanaka, the guy who only ever had girls on his mind, at a gay bar. Out of all unlikely scenarios, this seemed the most unlikely. Did this mean that Tanaka was into guys? Why else would he be here? Was he bi? So many questions and Chikara had no intention of asking because that would just be embarrassing for everyone involved.

“I've been fine! I heard that you managed to get a job at a production company after graduation,” Tanaka said, sitting down next to Chikara.

“Yeah, we recently finished the first big project I was involved with,” Chikara replied. “Are you still working at that hotel?”

“Yeah, but I'll be transferred to the branch in Tokyo next month.”

“Oooh, then Chikara can show you around the city once you've settled in!” Hisashi suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. Chikara shot him a look that would've made a lesser man shrink in on himself, but Hisashi had built up an immunity over the years and simply grinned at him.

 

***

 

Ryuu had never bothered moving out of his parents' house after graduating high school. It was convenient, just a twenty-minute walk from the hotel where he'd started out cleaning rooms and eventually worked his way up to a receptionist. It wasn't his dream job, not even close, but he'd become used to it by now. As far as service industry jobs went, it could've been worse. The pay was decent and his transfer was accompanied with a substantial pay raise, so he wasn't going to complain. Especially since he now knew that he wouldn't be all alone in Tokyo.

Meeting Ennoshita and the others at the gay bar was a shock, particularly when Ryuu found out that Kinoshita and Narita had started dating when they'd all still been on the same volleyball team. At the time, Ryuu had still been too caught up in his relationship with Kanoka, and those two had taken great pains to keep it secret from the team, but during the night at the bar, they obviously had nothing to hide. Watching them, Ryuu was reminded of his relationship with Kanoka. Narita and Kinoshita's relationship was built on friendship and mutual respect, they had no qualms talking shit about the other and sometimes when they touched accidentally, they would share this look that basically screamed, “I love you.” All of these things had been there when Ryuu had dated Kanoka, the friendship, respect, and shit talking, but by the time they'd broken up the love had turned from romantic to entirely platonic. It still hurt, knowing that things would never be as they were before, but they were better off as friends, the last year had taught Ryuu as much.

“So, Tanaka…” Kinoshita eventually said, slurring slightly after his second Bloody Mary, “You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, I'm just being a nosy little shit. But... Why are you here?”

 _Oh right. This is a gay bar_ , Ryuu remembered, blushing slightly. “Well, I've been curious about this place for some time now,” he explained. “I didn't wanna come here when I was still in a relationship with Kanoka, and I was always a little scared of people talking about me if they saw me here, but...” He shrugged. “I'll be moving next month. I'm not gonna be around anymore to hear the gossip.”

That made the others chuckle, but Kinoshita's curiosity was not yet satisfied entirely. “So that means you are... bisexual?”

“Uh... I guess? I mean... There are some guys that are kinda hot.”

Something about Kinoshita's reaction that followed Ryuu's statement was weird. There was a spark in his eyes and he looked over to Ennoshita, wiggling his eyebrows rather suggestively. So maybe... No. There was no way Ennoshita would ever be interested in someone like him. Ennoshita was sophisticated. He actually enjoyed watching black and white films. Why would he ever have a thing for a guy that was as rough around the edges as Ryuu was? The thought seemed so weird that Ryuu quickly forgot about it.

 

_*** Three weeks later... ***_

 

With the last box of his mum's old plates stowed away in the cabinet, Ryuu was officially done with his move to Tokyo.

“Should we order some take-out or just go to the corner store for bentos?” Kanoka asked as she closed the cabinet.

“Bentos are cheaper,” Ryuu sighed. His room was small and the rent was high, but he would manage. Not like he needed a lot of luxury anyway.

Kanoka laughed and picked up her sweater from the chair she'd left it on. “Let's go then.”

As they walked down the street, Ryuu tried to remember as much of his neighbourhood as possible. There were cafés, a barber and a rather dubious looking laundromat sprinkled in between the blocks of flats, and then at the street corner, there was a small convenience store.

They went straight for the section with the pre-made lunch boxes.

“Ooh! They have one with Hello Kitty shaped rice!” Kanoka's face immediately lit up. Ryuu snickered.

“And here I thought you were the mature one,” he teased, picking up a bento that had chicken skewers.

“It's cute, though,” Kanoka huffed and then immediately changed the topic. “Let's also get some soft drinks!”

Most people would probably cringe at the thought of letting their ex-girlfriend help out with moving, but Ryuu was not most people. Just because he and Kanoka weren't in love anymore didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy each other's company. He wasn't always sure about Kanoka, but from his side, there was not the slightest bit of resentment, no bitterness, no hard feelings. Just friendship.

Trying to decide on a soft drink, Ryuu accidentally bumped into someone.

“Oh, sorry!” he said, turning around to find himself looking at a rather familiar face. “Ennoshita!”

 

***

 

After work, all Chikara had wanted was to buy a bento for dinner, go home and fall asleep as soon as he'd finished eating, but now he found himself sitting in Tanaka's tiny kitchen, eating with Tanaka and Kanoka-san. It probably should've been awkward, what with having had a huge crush on Tanaka during high school and Kanoka-san being Tanaka's ex, but it was surprisingly comfortable.

“You actually drove all the way up here?” Chikara asked incredulously. “That's insane.”

Tanaka shrugged. “It was the cheapest option.”

“That reminds me, you still need to give me the gas money,” Kanoka-san said, prompting Tanaka to get up and fetch his wallet. Chikara watched the exchange between them, looking for any sign of lingering feelings. They certainly didn't act like they used to back in high school. No more shy giggling, no more excessive blushing that used to drive Chikara utterly mad with jealousy. Not that he would've been particularly jealous anymore. His feelings for Tanaka were a thing of the past.

 _Well, it's been five years_ , he mused, picking up the last piece of tofu and popping it in his mouth. He had a quick look at the clock that was hanging over the door – five minutes to ten.

“I should go home now,” he said, picking up the plastic container and throwing it in the bin. “I've got work tomorrow. Thanks for having me.”

“You're welcome to come over anytime!” Tanaka replied, grinning broadly. “Not like I have any friends here yet besides you.”

Having said his goodbyes, Chikara stepped out into the chilly night air, thinking about how nice it was to have a familiar face in his proximity again. At film school, there had been only two people whom he would've called his friends, but both of them had moved away again after graduation. There were people he got along with at work, but none of them qualified as friends yet. Even after years of separation, it would probably be easier to ask Tanaka to hang out than ask a co-worker. And he even happened to move into a flat that was just two blocks away from his own!

 

***

 

To: Ennoshita

> wanna come over 2night? theres still some beer left from last time

 

From: Ennoshita

> Sorry, we're filming a night scene today. I'll be free tomorrow night, so maybe then?

> The Inter High finals will be on tomorrow

 

To: Ennoshita

> beer and high school volleyball sounds good to me :D

 

Ennoshita was a busy guy. Working around his schedule to meet up was a bit of a chore at times, but it was definitely worth it. Ryuu hadn't had much trouble befriending his co-workers, he'd always been a team player after all, but none of them really _got_ him the way Ennoshita did. Back in the day, Ryuu had embarrassed himself in front of his former teammate at a regular basis so that he didn't really need to bother worrying about showing off his good side now. He could just ignore the inevitable teasing when he'd sit down on the floor next to Ennoshita with nothing but a ratty old t-shirt and boxer shorts, and Ennoshita would also get really worked up sometimes when they watched volleyball games on TV, so there was no reason to hold back in that department either.

It was weird, though, living alone for the first time in his life, especially on nights when he didn't have plans with anyone. Back in Miyagi, his parents or Saeko-nee were always around, and Noya's schedule at the restaurant used to match really well with his own at the hotel. But now he had to get used to eating dinner alone in front of the TV.

 

***

 

Chikara quite enjoyed spending what little bit of leisure time he had with Tanaka. It was so easy to be friends with him, so easy to be comfortable around him. But it sucked that they couldn't meet each other more frequently.

Maybe this was the reason why it took Chikara five months to realise that he was once again developing feelings for Tanaka. They were different from the adolescent infatuation he'd had to deal with in high school – less fuelled by hormones and less all-consuming. He wanted to be with Tanaka, to spend time with him, to confide in him and vice versa. There was the physical attraction as well – more than once he caught himself thinking of Tanaka while he was masturbating – but Chikara mostly wanted the comfort of a relationship.

Well, he wasn't a teenager anymore and neither was Tanaka. Both of them had changed so much over the years. Tanaka wasn't as aggressive as he used to be. Obviously, he still had his moments of hotheadedness, but years of working in customer service had taught him patience and restraint. Meanwhile, Chikara had become more confident in himself. He wasn't afraid of responsibility anymore, a quality his superiors at work seemed to value in him.

But one thing was still the same – Chikara was scared of rejection. Just because Tanaka was bi didn't mean that he would want to have a relationship with Chikara. And so Chikara bottled up his feelings, stowing them away deep in his heart, lest he ruin a perfectly good friendship.

 

***

 

Half a year after having moved to Tokyo, Ryuu had become pretty used to the city. The morning rush hour on the train was as much part of his daily routine as the quiet walk to work had been in Miyagi. He kept in contact with old friends via text messages and the occasional phone call, and he'd finally found a couple of people at work with whom he could go out for a drink now and then.

Spending his evening with Ennoshita was still his favourite pastime, however, so when he found out that Ennoshita would spend a month in Osaka, filming on location, he was devastated. In a way, it reminded him of the time when Kanoka had gone to the Olympics with the Japanese women's volleyball team back when they'd still been all over each other. Ryuu was in the bath when the realisation hit him.

_Wait a minute. Does this mean..._

He stared at the tiled wall across from him, but in front of his inner eye, he saw Ennoshita, the teasing glint in his warm eyes and the smile that curled around his lips. He imagined how it would feel to kiss him, to hold him in his arms, and he found these thoughts to be actually quite pleasant.

_Do I like him?_

If he did, it was certainly a new development. Ryuu couldn't remember ever having had an actual crush on a guy. Normally, his desire for people of the same gender was on a purely physical level, and honestly, Ennoshita was pretty high on his list of guys he wouldn't mind having sex with, but this was different. This went deeper. He could see himself with Ennoshita.

_Holy shit, what is this?_

Ryuu's heart hadn't beaten this fast in a while, and Ennoshita wasn't even here. He was miles away in Osaka, working on some cheesy TV drama, and Ryuu wouldn't be able to see him for another month.

_Well, at least I have time to think this over._

By the time Ryuu got out of the bath, the water had gone cold.

 

***

 

From: Tanaka Ryuunosuke

> when will u be back?

 

To: Tanaka Ryuunosuke

> I just got off the plane

 

From: Tanaka Ryuunosuke

> wanna meet up at my place?

 

Chikara's original plan had been to go home, shower, and sleep, but Tanaka's invitation was tempting. He had a day off tomorrow anyway, so what was the harm in going to see his friend?

 _I'm a helpless idiot_ , Chikara thought as he rang Tanaka's doorbell once he'd dropped off his luggage at home.

“Damn, you look tired!” was the first thing out of Tanaka's mouth when he opened the door for him. “You should've said something if you didn't want to come over.”

“I...” ... _missed you._ “...wanted to come. It feels like I haven't seen you in ages.”

Stepping into the flat, Chikara was as always immediately drawn to Tanaka's unmade bed. He flopped down on it, trying not to enjoy how much the sheets smelled like Tanaka.

Usually, this would be the moment when Tanaka would offer him a drink and ask if he wanted to watch a film or a baseball match or something, but instead, Tanaka remained silent. Confused, Chikara looked up and saw him standing next to the bed, fingers twisted into his t-shirt.

“I... I missed you,” Tanaka mumbled nervously, causing Chikara's chest to fill with warmth.

“I missed you, too.”

“I... I've been thinking,” Tanaka went on, face burning red. “I think I like you. The romantic way.”

Teenage Chikara would've grabbed Tanaka by the arms and pulled him down onto the bed to make out with him, and a certain part of Chikara's brain was itching to do just that, but he wasn't an eighteen-year-old virgin anymore. He'd had relationships before, and sooner or later his partners had left him because he couldn't make time for them.

“You... I…” He didn't even know where to begin because he wanted this, he wanted it so badly, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling in his stomach that everything would go wrong like it always did. “My job…”

“I know you're busy!” Tanaka said. “I know that you won't be able to make any more time for me than you already do, but...” He shrugged helplessly. “I'd like to try. If you want to, of course. And if it doesn't work out, we can always go back to being friends.”

And that was the thing. They could always be friends again. Chikara had seen the way Kanoka-san and Tanaka acted around one another.

 _Fuck._ He was too tired, and the bed smelled too good, and Tanaka's blush was the most adorable thing ever.

“I like you. Just... don't expect too much from me, okay?”

 

_*** A year later ***_

 

The night air was bitingly cold, as the four friends stepped out of the bar. Hisashi immediately grabbed Kazuhito's hand, huddling close for warmth.

“You guys are disgustingly cute as ever,” Chikara teased.

“Hypocrite,” Hisashi shot back, pointedly looking at Ryuu who was currently trying to stick his hands in Chikara's coat pockets from behind him.

“That's all on Ryuu, not me,” Chikara replied. Kazuhito couldn't tell if Chikara's ears were turning red because of the cold or because he was embarrassed with how his boyfriend was awkwardly trailing behind him so he could keep his hands in the pockets.

“You seem to enjoy it, though,” Kazuhito said.

“He loves it,” Ryuu agreed, causing Chikara to sigh in exasperation.

Kazuhito smiled and squeezed Hisashi's hand. It seemed like his oldest friend had finally encountered a miracle of his own.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](http://gilrael.tumblr.com)


End file.
